


obligatory sharing a bed oneshot

by ren_sauce



Series: what in fire nation [2]
Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Angst, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nightmares, Oneshot, Sharing a Bed, all that good shit, avatar AU, avatar rich, earthbender michael, firebender chloe, flangst, i think that's a thing, in a series for a reason, metalbender jenna, nonbender jake, remember when i said i'd update spider jer? haha yeah good times, well 'enemies' basically just jake being a bitch because he doesn't trust firebenders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-05-29 15:19:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15075992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ren_sauce/pseuds/ren_sauce
Summary: The world was burning.





	obligatory sharing a bed oneshot

**Author's Note:**

> i love me some good overused tropes
> 
> i'm a simple bitch let me live
> 
> these are in a series for a reason so like. read the first one yo.
> 
> it's good i swear

“So you’re the Avatar?”

“Yup.”

“As in... The _Avatar_ Avatar?”

“Pretty much.”

“As in, chosen master of all elements Avatar?”

“Yeah, basically.”

Jake squinted, taking in all five foot four of Rich’s burn scars, goofy grin and too-big Earth Kingdom robes as he stumbled through the forest.

“Nope, don’t see it.”

“It doesn’t matter if you _see it_ or not.” Chloe spat, tugging her shawl tighter around her shoulders. “Rich is the Avatar and he _will_ liberate the Fire Nation.”

Rich’s smile faltered.

“Uh...” Chloe quickly corrected herself. “With some assistance.”

“So how do you plan on learning to bend all the elements?” Michael frowned at the front of the group, peering over Jenna’s shoulder at the map. After a while of Chloe refusing to let Rich have the map again after what happened last time, Jake refusing to let Chloe have the map because there was absolutely no way he was letting a firebender lead him and his friends around, and everyone deciding Michael shouldn’t take the map (Michael included), they all figured Jenna should be the one to lead them. Michael had still taken it upon himself to be her right hand man, though. Because, Michael.

“Well...” Rich murmured. “We already have two experienced earthbenders with us-“ Michael beamed, Jenna winced. “And I’ve pretty much mastered firebending-“ Chloe rolled her eyes skeptically. “So I was hoping maybe one of you could go over earthbending with me, and then we should probably head to the Water Tribe and find a trained waterbender to help us, too.”

“A waterbending scroll would be more convenient,” Chloe explained. “But as far as I know, the only people who sell those are Fire Nation merchants. Ironically...”

“Yeah, wonder why _that_ is.” Jake scoffed. “Shouldn’t we be rallying troops first? I thought the whole point of a revolution was to have people on your side.”

“As we have _explained_ , Jake.” Chloe growled. “Rich and I are from the Fire Nation. We don’t exactly have the best history. The only way we can get people to follow us is if they notice Rich as the true Avatar, which will only happen if he masters all the elements.”

Jake huffed, muttering under his breath. Stupid firebenders, going to get them all killed...

“The natural order of bending is water, earth, fire, air.” Rich mumbled to no one in particular. “So I should be learning airbending next, but the Air Nomads were wiped out by the Fire Nation, and it’d take us a while to track down a scroll.”

“You should probably just learn earthbending now.” Jenna shrugged. “Sure, it’s not the order, but we don’t really have many options right now. My speciality’s metalbending, but that’s a rare kind of bending. As far as I know, you have to be born an earthbender, and even then, it’s super rare.”

“I see where this is going!” Michael grinned. “Rich, ready to study the awesome wisdom of Michael Mell?”

“You know it, bro!” Rich cheered, almost tripping over a rock in his excitement. Jake rolled his eyes. There was no way this guy was the Avatar.

“It would also be a good idea to go to the Southern Air Nation, and from there the Southern Water Tribe.” Chloe mumbled, more to herself than anyone else. “That way we might be able to meet some benders that could help us.”

“Yeah, in case you’ve forgotten, the Air Nomads were all wiped out by the Fire Nation.” Jake sneered. “Yknow. Your people.”

“Those were not _our_ people.” Chloe hissed.

“Really?” Jake frowned with faux curiosity. “Because I’m pretty sure you guys are firebenders, yknow, from the _Fire Nation-“_

“We’re not Fire Nation.” Rich said, not loudly, but still powerfully enough to get them to shut up. Jake glared at him skeptically, while Michael and Jenna just looked up from the map, confused. Chloe shook her head. Rich ignored her. They needed these people to trust them.

“We were banished.” Rich continued, trying to keep his voice steady. “Well, Chloe was. I was, uh... I guess I was a prisoner? Yeah, that sounds right.”

“Banished? And a prisoner?” Michael frowned, concerned. “What for?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Rich shrugged. “Not anymore. What’s important is that we’re all on the same side. We all want the Fire Lord gone, and all four nations to leave peacefully, as they did before. We’re all friends here. Right?”

Jenna stepped forward, and hesitantly put her hand on his shoulder, as if she wasn’t exactly sure if that was the right thing to do.

“Of course we are.”

Rich beamed, placing his hand over her own. Michael grinned and nodded enthusiastically, while Chloe gave a small smile. Jake just looked away.

“Come on.” Jenna punched his arm lightly. “We should be reaching a river soon. We can make camp there.”

“Okay.” Rich smiled gently, following his new friends; Jenna at the front, tailed by Michael, trying his best to help and failing; Chloe in the middle with Rich, walking close so that their arms brushed occasionally, letting him know that she was there, and Jake bringing up the rear, his hand resting on his knife so he could defend them at a moments notice.

All in all, Rich was happy with this turnout.

oOo

Jake was not happy with this turnout.

Unfortunately, it had to be done.

“I’m just saying!” Jake had protested, once they’d set up camp. “It wouldn’t be the first time the Fire Nation had tricked someone!”

“What could we _possibly_ have to gain from killing three Earth kids with no status?” Chloe’d spat, her hair flickering dangerously.

“You only wanted Michael and Jenna to come originally! Maybe you just want to enslave more Earthbenders for your people!”

“I told you, they are _not_ our people!”

“And how do we know that isn’t a lie?!”

“Jake, stop it!” Michael had snarled. “Yeah, the Fire Nation’s sketchy, but Rich and Chloe aren’t like that!”

“And how do you know that?! We’ve known them for a day and a half! Look, all I’m saying is, if you _really_ want to prove that you’re not conspiring to kill us or whatever, just don’t share a tent.”

“I fail to see how me and Rich sharing a tent is such a big deal.” Chloe’d huffed indignantly. “We’re family.”

“Maybe, but you could still be planning to kill us. All I’m asking is that you both share a tent with one of us, and that way we’ll know you aren’t plotting anything sketchy.”

“That’s the most paranoid thing I’ve ever heard.”

Rich burst into a coughing fit.

 _“Pot, kettle!”_ He’d said, masking it with over-the-top hacking and wheezing. “Sorry, allergies! Chloe, a moment, please?”

Instead of waiting for a reply, he dragged her towards some trees and started whispering hurriedly. Jake wasn’t entirely sure what he said, but he’d caught the words ‘compromise’, ‘trust’ and he was pretty sure Rich had said ‘we’re not like him’ at some point, which he didn’t really understand, but once they were done Chloe had begrudgingly agreed to the idea, so he didn’t really care.

“Okay, so.” He clapped his hands together. “Jenna, you bunk with Chloe, Michael, you bunk with Rich. Cool?”

“Uh... I-I don’t think that’d be such a good idea.” Michael mumbled. "Yknow. The _incident._ ”

Rich and Chloe glanced at each other nervously.

“Incident?”

“Michael sleepwalks.” Jenna shrugged. “Well, sort of. Not really. He does move around a lot, though. And talk. It gets pretty annoying. The last time it happened, he broke my nose.”

“It was an _accident!”_ Michael protested. They’d obviously had this conversation before. “I thought you were a bear! It was self defence!”

Jenna fixed him with an unimpressed stare.

“I-I’m not calling _you_ a bear, I just dreamed that I was being attacked by a bear – stop making this a thing!”

“So yeah.” Jenna continued, ignoring Michael completely. “I think it’s best Michael sleeps by himself.”

“It was an _accident-“_

“Michael, sweetie, no one cares.” Jenna smiled sarcastically. “So yeah. Not a good idea to bunk him with Rich.”

“Yeah.” Rich winced. “I get kinda jumpy if someone wakes me up. I don’t really wanna burn down the camp by mistake...”

Jake rolled his eyes. Chloe kicked some dirt at him.

“Fine.” Jake shrugged. “I’ll bunk with Rich, Michael can have his own tent. Good? Good. I’m gonna go collect some firewood.”

“Oh!” Rich smiled brightly, making Jake’s stomach go weird for a moment. With hatred. Obviously. “I’ll come with you-!”

“No thanks, bye!”

And that’s how Jake found himself in this situation. Curled in a tiny tent with an even tinier firebender, snoring loud enough to wake rock giants.

Rich’s snores went quiet, and Jake held his breath. Maybe? Possibly? Please?

The snores started again, like rocks grating against each other, and Jake tried not to scream.

He tried to calm himself. This was just so he could put his mind at ease. Losing a few hours of sleep was worth it to know that they weren’t going to be killed. Still, it didn’t make it any less painful to his ears...

Jake groaned, stuffing his pillow over his head. This was the right thing to do, he insisted to himself. The right thing. Now nothing could go wrong, and everyone could sleep easy.

Nothing could go wrong.

oOo

The world was burning

The was fire everywhere. Smoke clung in the air, thick and heavy and suffocating. The trees were gone, replaced with crooked, smouldering black fingers, clawing at the sky, flames flickering across them like ugly, pulsing veins. The camp ground had turned to ash. Flames roared through the forest, keeping Rich trapped at the side of the river – except it wasn’t a river anymore, just a dried, cracked bed of dirt, cutting through the land like a scar.

His arms itched.

He couldn’t breathe – the smoke curled around his neck, clogged his nostrils and his mouth, made his eyes sting and water so much that everything just became a red-orange blur. He choked and hacked, trying to open up his airways, but there was too much, too much, he couldn’t _breathe_. The forest was burning, the camp was burning –

He was burning.

The flames travelled up his clothes, burning them into flakes of ash that fluttered into the smoke, caught in his hair and clawed at his scalp, scorched his throat, he couldn’t _breathe_ , bit into his arms, he was _burning_ , the smell of melting flesh making him gag and choke, and he couldn’t see, he couldn’t breathe, he was going to die here, someone, please-!

Rich woke up with a gasp.

Sweat clung to his brow, dripping down his neck. His back felt soaked through. Sweat was better than fire.

He took a deep breath (he was breathing, he could breathe) and patted at his clothes. They were still there, not burnt or torn. The tent was still there. He could hear Chloe breathing beside him. He was okay.

His first instinct was Chloe, find Chloe. Chloe, who didn’t make him talk about his nightmares, who didn’t really understand them in general, but still hugged him close and told him that it was okay, he was alive, she was here, it was going to be okay.

Rich turned to his side, pawing at Chloe’s bedroll so he could slip under the covers and huddle into her comforting warmth, and _oh_.

This wasn’t Chloe. Chloe was in another tent. Chloe was in another tent because Rich didn’t listen to her and had chosen to go along with Jake’s plan, to make him happy. He’d told Chloe it was a compromise – honestly, Rich just wanted Jake to like them.

Jake seemed like a nice person. He was a nice person. He just... Had some problems with firebenders. But everyone had problems. Jake was their friend now... Rich wanted Jake to trust them.

Chloe had warned him. She worried about him having another nightmare and her not being there to help him, but Rich had brushed her off. Told her it was fine, nothing to worry about.

Rich was a fucking liar.

He just didn’t want her to worry. That was all she did for him. Worried about him, took care of him, because Rich couldn’t even take care of himself. He hated that. He wanted to be strong for her. Make her proud.

He’d wanted to make _someone_ proud.

That was all he’d ever wanted.

But that was a thought he could save for when he was awake and not on the verge of a mental breakdown.

He wanted touch. Wanted to make sure this was real, not a fabrication that could all be burned away. But Chloe was in another tent with Jenna, there wouldn’t be enough room. Maybe Michael? He seemed down for some friendly cuddling. No, Michael broke people’s noses in his sleep, that would just make the situation worse. Besides, if Rich left the tent and Jake woke up, he wouldn’t trust them.

Jake...

Rich frowned, glancing at the boy sleeping beside him. Jake hadn’t seemed too keen on Rich spending time with him... But he was asleep, he wouldn’t know-! No, that felt like betraying his trust. But Rich needed touch...

Fuck it, he decided. He slowly shuffled closer to Jake, so that he was half on Jake’s bedroll and half on his own. He leaned forward, and rested his forehead on the small of Jake’s back. It wasn’t exactly cuddling, and the angle was kind of awkward, but it was touch nonetheless. At least this way he knew Jake was real. Besides, it wasn’t like Jake would know.

“What are you doing?”

Never mind.

“Um!” Rich yelped, yanking away and tumbling back into his bedroll. “Uh, nothing, I was just-! Um!”

“Hey, whoa!” Jake yelled over his panicking, placing his hands over Rich’s shoulders. “Dude, calm down! It’s just a question!”

Rich sniffed, and rubbed his arms self-consciously. His arms bumped over the scarred flesh. he tried not to focus on it too much.

“Sorry, I-I’m sorry.” He whispered. “It’s nothing, it was stupid, just forget it, I’m sorry-“

“Rich.” Jake cut him off, unusually calm. “You’re crying.”

Shit.

“Sorry.” Rich’s voice cracked dangerously.

“Tell me what happened.”

Jake’s voice was nice. Soft, gentle, but still powerful enough to make him feel safe.

“It’s nothing.” He repeated. “It’s just – I-I get these nightmares?”

He couldn’t see Jake’s face in the dark, but he could tell from the silence he was expecting him to continue.

“Touch helps. Sometimes. Chloe normally, uh...” He trailed off awkwardly, sniffing again and swiping at his face harshly. “I-I’m sorry, it’s so stupid-“

“C’mere.”

“Uh, what? I – oh!”

Jake pulled on Rich’s shoulders, tugging him over to his bedroll.

“Jake?!” Rich squeaked as his face collided into Jake’s chest.

“Shut up!” Jake growled indignantly. “You said touch helped, so I’m helping, now shut up and cuddle, asshole!”

Rich didn’t say anything. His nose was brushing against Jake’s collarbone, and Jake’s chin was resting on his head. His hands found themselves wound around Jake’s waist, and Jake’s own arms had wrapped themselves around his back and his hips, almost protectively. Warmth radiated from Jake’s chest, transferring to Rich’s body and spreading all the way to his fingertips. Rich sighed softly, nuzzling further into Jake’s neck as he let the warmth spread and comfort him.

His arms stopped itching.

oOo

“Unbelievable.”

“Do you think they planned this?”

“C’mon guys! I think it’s cute!”

“It’s sickening, if you ask me.” Chloe huffed, wrinkling her nose at the sight of Rich and Jake cuddled together in one bedroll. “I knew we shouldn’t’ve trusted Jake.”

“He’s pan, Chloe, he’s not a demon.”

“If he hurts Rich, I’ll melt him.”

“That’s fair.” Jenna shrugged. “Should we wake them up?”

“Jenna!” Michael whined. “We can’t do that! Let them rest!”

“We need to reach the Air Nomads! Chloe, back me up!”

Chloe looked back at Rich. He looked peaceful. Content. And Jake looked so much less tense than he’d seemed before.

“Let them rest.” She sighed. “We’ll make breakfast and wait for them to wake up. They both need this.”

“Fuck yeah!” Michael grinned as Jenna gaped in disbelief. “Gay shit for the win!”

“Whatever.” Jenna huffed, though she wasn’t really annoyed. “But just to be clear, we’re all making fun of them for this, right?”

“Oh, definitely.” Chloe smiled wickedly. “Now, who wants eggs?”

**Author's Note:**

> fhsntht i hate this but i love this
> 
> this is like like half of the first one and i don't,,, like it,,, but i couldn't write anymore


End file.
